


The Regan Chronicles

by JD_Steiner



Series: The Regan Chronicles [1]
Category: The World's End (2013)
Genre: Addiction, Discovery of self, Drug Use, F/M, Other, Underage Drinking, gary king - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-10
Packaged: 2018-02-04 02:37:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1763115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JD_Steiner/pseuds/JD_Steiner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story follows the life of Regan King - the son Gary left behind at the end of my last story Kill The King With Love Is The Law. </p><p>The story picks up just before Regan's seventeenth birthday, a young man now; he has more responsibility than a young man of his age should. With the absence of his father, Regan feels he is the man of the house and should be looking after his mum. </p><p>Still living in a virtually untouched Newton Haven, it becomes his playground, as it had been for Gary, Andy, Steven and Peter at his age. Slowly things start coming out of the woodwork about the past history of the town and the history of his broken family. Family secrets come out leaving him to deal with the aftermath that his father has left behind all those years ago. Will he be able to push forward and make a life for himself or will he end up the same as his father? A drunk addict and alcoholic destroying his life and everyone's around him.</p><p>Follow Regan King on a journey from boy to man of the house as he finds out about himself and his family and what exactly is 'The Legend Of The King'?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Regan Chronicles

Clutching baby Regan to her chest, tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared into the hospital room. Beside her, Gail held on to her arm and wept.

Inside the small hospital room, the nurses pulled the thin white sheet up over Gary’s body.

 

Andy was the first to arrive at the house, dressed in a black dress shirt and tie under a black suit. Gail answered the door and mustered up a smile when she seen him.“Andrew, please come in.” She moved so he could enter “Wow it’s been a long time, how have you been?”

“Good, good thank- you.” Andy hesitated, now not sure how to say it. “Words cannot express how sorry I am. All said and done, Gary was my best friend. It’s hard to believe he’s gone.” He embraced Gail in a hug. “If you need anything, you let me know, ok?”

“Thank you.” They moved across the kitchen and into the living room now “I’m glad you’re here, there’s someone we want you to meet. Andy, this is Stacie”

“Hi, nice to meet you finally, unfortunately I wish it was under better circumstances.”  
Stacie stood up “Hi Andy, Gary talked about you all the time. He missed you, ya know.”

Andy knew, and could only nod. “And who’s this little guy then?”

Stacie looked down at her son in her arms and smiled “You’re an uncle, this is your nephew, Regan Andrew James.” Andy looked stunned for a second “He was born after Gary crashed his car. Gary wanted to give him the middle name Andrew, after you....he’s all I have left.” Tears came and she sobbed.

Andy embraced her “I know, it’s hard. Gary was my best friend, we’ve been through a lot together over the years. I’m here if you need me, ok?”

Stacie nodded “Would you like to hold him?”

Andy reached out and took baby Regan in his arms. “Hey there Regan, I’m you’re Uncle Andy.” He began to sob now, tears falling onto Regan’s blanket and he looked up at Stacie “He looks so much like Gary...”

Stacie nooded in agreement; crying now too.

There was another knock on the door, it was Gary’s father, James.

After greeting Gail, he made his way over to Andy and Stacie.

“Hello Andrew, long time.” The two men embraced “There’s my Grandson!” He smiled weakly as Andy handed baby Regan over to his Grandad.

Oliver and Sam, Peter arrived a few minutes after that. Baby Regan was introduced to his Auntie and Uncles as they shared memories over coffee, tea and sandwiches.

Once the time came to go to the cemetery, everyone’s eyes were red and puffy as they piled into their vehicles.

 

                The sky over the cemetery was grey, threatining rain as the small group exited their vehicles and walked together to gather around the open grave. Thunder sounded, a distant crack in the sky, followed by a low rumble that seemed to ripple outward and over their heads as the service began.

_“Family, friends we are gathered here today, to mourn the passing of Gary James King._

_Gary passed away at age 42 from years of addiction that he could not overcome; which led to cause a car crash and succumbing to his injuries.Gary leaves behind to mourn, his parents, James and Gail, girlfriend, Stacie Gallagher, son Regan and his deaerest brothers and friends Andy Knightley, Oliver &Sam Chamerlain, Steven Prince & Peter Page...._

As they listened to the opening words of the funeral director, another loud crack, this time directly overhead. Lightning flashed around them, lighting up the sky as the storm moved in.

The silence amongst them only punctuated by the rain as it began to fall softly along with hugs and words of comfort. Sobs carried in the breeze, red puffy eyes dabbed with tissues.

Stacie’s eyes were constantly filled with tears, as they dripped down her slimming black dress and onto the blankets Regan was swaddled in as she held him in her arms. Everything was blurry, her mind was nothing but fuzz and she couldn’t seem to think straight. That day, the look on Gary’s face when he seen his son for the first time; that moment that she had said goodbye to Gary played over and over in her mind. There was a comforting hand on her shoulder as she quietly sobbed, it was Andy. He leaned in close enough that Stacie could see the tears in his eyes behind his thick framed glasses. “It’s ok, Stace. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug “It’s gunna be ok, Gary was my best mate, and if you need anything, any favor don’t hesitate to ask, O.K.?”

Stacie could only nod, compleatly understanding.

_“I will now read a short Passage:_

_Grieve for me, for I would grieve for you._  
Then brush away the sorrow and the tears  
Life is not over, but begins anew,  
With courage you must greet the coming years.  
To live forever in the past is wrong;  
It can only cause you misery and pain.  
Dwell not on memories overlong,  
With others you must share and care again.  
Reach out and comfort those who comfort you;  
Recall the years, but only for a while.  
Nurse not your loneliness; but live again.  
Forget not. Remember with a smile.

_With that, is there anyone that would like to come up here and say a few words about Gary?” He pointed at Andy “Yes, Andrew come up here please.”_

Andy stepped up to the front of the group, taking a piece of folded up paper out of his pocket he began to read what he had written:

_“I’ve known Gary my whole life, and over the years we’ve been through a lot together, you could say we have been to hell and back. Unfortunately over those years now, our paths went seperate ways, blinded by what life threw our way. I started a career as a lawyer, Gary however, had a sad, lonley life of addiction. Dispite that, Gary was still my best friend and there were a lot of things that I wanted to say but I didn’t know how...”_

Andy had to stop to choke back tears.

_First of all, I forgave you long ago for that night, all those years ago when I crashed that car and severed my femoral artery and almost died, you leaving me to get arrested, after 12 hours of life saving surgery. I wanted to get you to the hospital, after you OD’ed.”_ Pausing again he took a hankerchief out of his pocket and wiped at his eyes.

_“Gary, mate, you were like a brother to me, I remember sitting up talking for hours, sometimes all night. We’d hash out problems, discussing our insight into the world around us. We have also had our arguments over the years, but yet we could never stay mad at each other._

_.......I’m....I’m “_ Andy sobbed

_“Unfortunately we were also your enablers.”_ Andy opens up the dress shirt now to reveal a ‘Gary King and the Enablers’ t-shirt underneath. Amongst the mourners, Peter, Oliver and Steven did the same.

_“I’m Gunna miss ya mate.”_

_“Gary King and the Enablers!....Steven can you come up here, please.”_

Steve came to the front now carrying a guitar strapped to his back. _“Fearless leader, this song that I am about to play is for you.”_

Taking the accoustic guitar off his back he began to pluck out and sing Green Day’s Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) as the coffin was lowered into the ground.

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road,

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you were to go

So make the best of this test, and don’t asky why

It’s not a question but a lesson learned in time

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right, I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind, hang on a shelf in good health and good time

Tatto’s and memories and dead skin on trial, for what it’s worth, it was worth all the while.

It’s something unpredictable but in the end is right,

I hope you had the time of your life...”

 

It’s something unpredictable but in the end it’s right

I hope you’ve had the time of your life...

Stacie stared blankly as she handeed the baby over to Gail, blinking through tears which was only making them worse. The funeral director handed her a single black rose, a tear from her cheek falling, landing directly in the middle of the petals as she walked over to the graveside. Stacie’s sobs got harder, unable to control them she dropped to her knees in front of the grave as she stared down at the coffin. The single rose dropped from her hand to land on the middle of the coffin cover chased by her tears, the rain drenching her denim jacket and soaking through in seconds. She felt someone kneel down next to her on the wet grass, his firm hand on her shoulder. Andy’s face greeted her as he held an umbrella over their heads. Looking into his face, she could tell that he was crying too. She could see the glisten of tear trails on his cheeks as Steven passed him a small joint which he took a draw of before throwing it into the grave, on top of the casket. “Your puff, Gary.” Followed by a red rose. Pausing before getting back up, he looked at Stacie “That’s what he would have wanted...and we’re not done yet. You look like you’re in pretty rough shape, in the meantime lets get you out of here, o.k.?”

Stacie nodded at Andy, who draped his arm around her, getting up he led her deliberately away from the gravesite. “Let me take you home, get you some tea. I’ll keep you company for a bit.”

Stacie smiled “Um..sure..thanks Andy....Gary used to talk about you alot, you know. He used to tell me stories of growing up here in Newton Haven, how the two of you used to get into mischief.”

Andy smiled, remembering as he opened the passenger side door of his car for Stacie before climbing into the drivers seat. _“_ Yea, we used to get into a lot of trouble..well Gary mostly and I used to have to always bail him out.” He started the car and slowly pulled out of his parking spot “Hmph. Sometimes Gary, altough he can be a nice enough guy, was a complete asshole. I wondered more than once why we were still friends to be honest.” Andy ony sighed, tears sliding out of his eyes as he drove. A silence between them.

 

Once they were back at the house, Andy made them some tea and they sat in the living room. Silence of grief passed between them and Stacie looked up at Andy.”Tell me a story, Andy.”

Andy gave her a look “What?”

“Tell me a story.....”

“Oh....alright...um..”

“.....About you and Gary.”

 

 

As Andy finished the story, his mobile phone rang loudly. “Sorry..” seeing Steven’s number he answered.

“Hey mate!.....Yeah, I am at the house with Stacie. I’ll be there in a few, meet ya there.”

He put his phone away “Sorry, I’m going to have to be off, the boys and I are going for a pint. Are you going to be O.k.?”

Stacie nodded, knowing it was important that Andy go with Steven, Peter, Oliver and Sam. But as Andy left, shutting the door softly behind him, she sat there and quietly wept. Inside her chest, it felt like her heart ached and was breaking into a million pieces as grief swept over her in tidal waves.

 

The door opened, Gail laid down Regan who was in his carrier and shrugged out of her coat, dropping it to the floor when she heard Stacie sobbing.

“It’s ok love, I’m here.” Walking over she embraced Stacie, who was still shaking

“I....love him so much..”

“I know you do love, I know you do.”

“I miss him...”

“I know..I do too.”

“I.. I try to tell myself that he is gone..even though I was there when he died...yet I expect him to come walking through that door any minute. “ She started sobbing uncontrollably again. Gail, also quite stricken with grief could only sob as they held each other.

From across the room, the baby began to wail. Gail gets up and goes over, unbuckling him and taking him out of his carrier she brings the baby over and sits down. “I know this is going to be really hard, but you’re also a mum now to my beautiful Grandson, who looks so much like his father. ..And you have a responsibility now to take care of him, and raise him to be a good person.” She handed the baby over to mum because he wanted to be fed.

Stacie smiled down at him as he stared up at her with big blue-grey eyes like his dad.

“I like to think that he lives on in Regan now. “


End file.
